This invention relates in general to a collator used with a copying apparatus, printing apparatus, or the like and, more particularly, to a collator having means for directing, storing and returning sheet in relation to a sheet conveying path.
One type of collator known in the art comprises a plurality of bins arranged side by side in spaced parallel relation, conveyor means for conveying sheets on which symbols have been formed from a copying apparatus or printing apparatus to the bins, and direction changing means for changing the direction of movement of the printed sheets to successively deliver them to the bins from the conveyor means. The collator may be provided with sheet jam detecting means for detecting a jam of printed sheets supplied to the collator. When the detecting means has detected the occurrence of a sheet jam, the printed sheets can be ejected onto a tray of the main body of the copying apparatus or the printing apparatus without being forwarded to the collator. The printed sheets ejected onto the tray are either manually delivered to the bins or automatically fed to the bins by the individual operation of the collator after the sheet jam has been removed. Handling of the printed sheets performed as described hereinabove after the sheet jam has been removed, however, is troublesome and may lead to a situation in which collating or sorting of the printed sheets is not effected positively.